WWE Night Of Champions 2013 Review – WWE Give Us The Worst Pay-Per-View Of The Year As Daniel Bryan Wins The WWE Title Off A Fast Count!

Wrestling fans, I am “Big Hungry” Tom Robinson here again. We’re coming off Night Of Champions with a lot of controversy coming off the main event and a lot of things to address because I really wasn’t impressed by last night’s event. Nothing really stood out for me, other than the main event. There was only one title change and all the matches seemed really flat to me, as did the fans for all but two of the matches. Let’s get to it…

An Impromptu Intercontinental Title match sees Curtis Axel FINALLY defeat Kofi Kingston

We start off the show with COO Triple H addressing the WWE universe and stating that the WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton would have ZERO interference, making it a fair one on one encounter. This was interrupted by Paul Heyman and Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel, with Heyman making a last-minute plea to Triple H to cancel his and Axel’s handicap elimination match against CM Punk later on. Triple H started to mess with Heyman and Axel by questioning Heyman’s trust in Axel’s ability and refused to cancel the match. Curtis Axel then got the mic and suggests that Triple H is still holding a grudge over his defeat to Axel on May 20th 2013. Yes, Axel actually stated when his first victory over HHH took place. Axel’s talking got him into trouble as HHH would then put Axel in an IC Championship defence to start the show against the first person he sees when he goes to the back (which just so happens to be Kofi Kingston, the guy Axel has lost to a couple of times in the last few weeks. How convenient). Two things were really off about this segment I believe….

1. Triple H still having a grudge with Heyman and Axel sort of makes the new corporation seem sort of face if you will. It takes away the heat that the corparation has when he messes with fellow heel Paul Heyman.
2. I hated that the fans were chanting “BORING” during Axel’s promo. For god’s sake, give the guy a chance to talk. Yeah, Axel’s not the greatest talker but at least give him the chance at least without unleashing a “BORING” chant.

The match itself was really good in comparisons to their matches on RAW and SmackDown! over the last couple of weeks. Some really good near-falls during the match, including Axel kicking out of the S.O.S. Axel got the victory and gives himself confidence ahead of going up against CM Punk in the handicap match, which was actually upgraded to a No-DQ Elimination Handicap Match. Good way to start off the show.

 

Awkward Botch Ruins An Already Awkward Divas Title Match

Before AJ Lee’s Divas Title defence against Naomi, Natalya and Brie Bella in a fatal four way, Alicia Fox and Aksana both ended their alliance with AJ, with Layla possibly doing the same. This was like the shortest stable in WWE history! It lasted like 2 weeks and it could have actually been a decent stable if they didn’t lose their first match together last week on RAW. Anyway, it appears AJ will have no back-up against the 3 divas from “Total Divas” that she slandered on RAW 3 weeks ago.

To be honest, it was a decent effort by all 4 women. They tried to make the match as interesting as possible and you’ve got to commend them for that. All 4 women had their fair share of time to show their stuff. But to be honest, this never seemed to get the fans interested one bit. It felt so awkward and out of place. The only time the fans popped during this match was then Natalya locked in the double sharpshooter. Also, it didn’t help when the referee made a HUGE error near the end of the match…

Right, Natalya scoop-slammed Brie Bella onto Naomi who was taken out before. Anyway, Brie Bella’s laying on top of Naomi for about 20 seconds, Naomi’s shoulders were down, and the referee did NOTHING. He was supposed to make the count and all he and Natalya were doing was just staring at both women. Sure, it’s nice to stare at two women on top of one another but he should have made the god-damn count. Even the commentators were even yelling at him to make the count. It was one of the most awkward botches of the year in my opinion. Anyway, the one thing to take as a positive from this match was that AJ Lee retained the championship.

 

A disqualification sees RVD’s World Title Hopes Shattered By Alberto Del Rio

To be honest, this match was nowhere near as good as Del Rio’s recent title defences against Dolph Ziggler and Christian in recent pay-per-view, but it was at least a decent effort. The only thing that was off-putting about this match was the fact that it ended in a disqualification. When RVD got to the ropes after being locked-in the Cross-Armbrearker, Del Rio refused to break the hold and was disqualified. This hurts Del Rio’s credibility a bit as this is the second time in 3 PPV World Title defences that Del Rio’s retained the title on a disqualification. Del Rio should have made RVD tap out. Maybe their setting up a rematch at Battleground for all I know. At least I hope so because I think will a bit more time this match could be a lot more improved at Battleground.

 

The Miz and Fandango Are Given A Match On A PPV… why?

The Miz vs Fandango has been like the least appealing rivalry of the year and for some absurd reason they were given a PPV match. Really? I mean it’s bad enough that Fandango showed up to ANOTHER PPV but he has to go up against The Miz of all people? Two guys who I can’t stand right now and their match was such a bland match. I hope this is the end of their feud because the fact that I had to sit through that match just really wound me up. -.-

 

Ryback Helps Heyman Against CM Punk And Becomes The New “Paul Heyman Guy”

This match went exactly as I thought it would. Axel fights Punk. Punk beats Axel. Beats Up Heyman A Little Bit. Taken Out By A New “Paul Heyman Guy”. While I didn’t like the predictability of it all, I like the way it was executed. It was a really brutal exchange between Axel and Punk, with kendo sticks and chairs being used in the fray, as well as a table being set up. However, CM Punk would make Axel tap out, leaving Paul Heyman to Punk. After chasing him around a little bit, Punk finally got his hands on Heyman and beat the crap out of him with the kendo stick. He event handcuffed him and then unleashed a fury of kendo stick shots on Heyman. Just as Punk had finished the beatdown, Ryback made his way to the ring and speared Punk through the table. This proved to be enough to put Punk down for the count to three as Heyman picked up the victory over Punk.

I do feel that CM Punk should have took a lot more damage from Ryback before getting pinned. I think it should have been more than a spear through the table to put Punk away considering how resilient he was against Brock Lesnar during their feud. It seems a little bit unbelievable that Punk can take a beating from Lesnar and still keep fighting, but one spear through the table from Ryback and he’s done. However, this was a good way to introduce Ryback as the new “Paul Heyman Guy” though. Ryback does need Paul Heyman as his manager. Ryback’s bullying gimmick had to stop and with Heyman on board he could actually go places. But the question is, with Ryback supposedly on board, where does that leave Curtis Axel?

 

The Shield Retain All Their Gold At Night Of Champions With Dolph Ziggler and The Prime Time Players Getting A Taste Of “Justice”

Yep. The Shield still have all the gold they won back at Extreme Rules in May. Dean Ambrose defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain the US Championship and Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns defeated The Prime Time Players to retain the tag titles.

Let’s talk about the US Championship. It’s clear that Ziggler is still not sitting well with WWE right now just because the manner of his loss. No screwjob. No Shield-interference. He flat-out LOST to Dean Ambrose. It’s sad to see Ziggler being punished by WWE. I mean it’s not like the match was a great match anyway. It sort of felt like a TV match. It’s was OK, but it didn’t deserve to be on the card if it was going to be just… OK. If Ziggler was going to lose like we all knew he would, he should have at least had a great match with Ambrose which we know he’s capable of. But of course, when you’re in the WWE Dog House, the chances of you getting to look good goes right down the drain.

And the Tag Team Championship match. A very decent match and the fans were all over the Prime Time Players. Both guys looked strong against The Shield and I actually thought they’d beat The Shield near the end. But I think this might be just a prelude to their title win in weeks to come. I think after this match, the PTP look in a strong position to win the gold despite not winning in Detroit, Michigan.

So, up until this point, every champion has retained their championship. Only one champion remains to defend their title… WWE Champion Randy Orton…

 

Randy Orton Vs Daniel Bryan For The WWE Championship

It was not the greatest of main events. In my opinion, Daniel and Orton have had plenty of better matches than this one was. It was really slow paced and it ended abruptly (I’ll get on the ending in a bit). It was one of Orton’s better matches and it’s good to see Orton’s been developing his wrestling as of late. He’s had a couple of stellar matches in the last few months. But, of course the thing that annoyed me about the match was the result. Daniel Bryan won of the flying kick he used to win the title from Cena at Summerslam… oh and a FAST 3 COUNT BY SCOTT ARMSTRONG!

Really? The night ended with a fast count? I read somewhere after the match that the commentators were not meant to mention the fast count, but they should have said at least something about it, especially JBL. The Heel Commentator JBL would have PLENTY to say about a fast count. I mean yeah – if Daniel won of the fast count and Triple H came out and reversed the decision that night, it’d make sense. But we’ve got to wait until RAW to find out the fate of the WWE Championship? I

All I’ll say is this… if Daniel’s title win stands, then it was a daft way for it to go down, and his regaining of the title came WAY too soon. I mean what does that say of the heel regime when they don’t have the WWE Championship anymore? I hope Triple H reverses the decision of the match on RAW. Because a face winning the title of a FAST COUNT makes zero sense. And Orton would have gotten royally screwed if the result of the match stands. Let’s just hope for the best, because I am not happy with how that “title change” took place.

Overall it was a really under-whelming PPV. I think it was the worst PPV of the year so far. While the WWE, IC and Tag Team title matches were all decent matches as was Punk vs Axel and Heyman , the Divas match was EXTREMELY AWKWARD, the US Title match was such a disappointment and the World Title match ending made Del Rio look weaker as a champion. The crowd weren’t into half of the matches, and that’s worrying and really decreases how good a show is when the crowd isn’t into it? With Battleground only 3 weeks away and Hell In A Cell only 3 weeks after that, PPVs are coming in thick and fast and WWE are going to have a hard time building up each one. I just hope that RAW can recover a badly-delivered PPV.

That was the Night Of Champions review. I’m Tom Robinson!

RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE POST! Vegeta from the Dragonball Z series being the expert counter that he is! Hey, I told you it was random! XD Follow the @ArmbarExpress On TWITTER!

WWE Night Of Champions 2013 Predictions – Will Daniel Bryan Dethrone The Corporate Champion?

Wrestling fans, I’m “Dragon Dragon” himself Tom Robinson. I’m so good, I’m double the Dragon! XD

Night Of Champions PREDICTIONS! Which champions will retain their titles, and which contenders are going to walk out Detroit, Michigan a champion?

 

Pre-Show: The Prime Time Players vs The Real Americans vs The Usos vs 3MB vs Tons Of Funk in a tag team turmoil. Winners Face The Shield For The Titles On The PPV.

Background: On RAW, It was announced that with the tag team division heating up with the rise of the Prime Time Players and The Usos that a tag team turmoil will take place on the Night Of Champions Pre-Show to determine number one contenders to The Shield on the actually Pay-Per-View itself.

What Should Happen?: Either The Usos or The Prime Time Players Win. But if I had to pick out of them two, I’d say The Usos because their pre-show match with The Shield at Money In The Bank was an incredible tag team match and I really want to see The Usos finally get a run at the titles.

What Will Happen?: I’m going to say that the WWE are going to keep backing the Prime Time Players with this new push and have them challenge The Shield later on in the card.

 

“The Shield” Roman Reigns (c) and Seth Rollins (c) vs Whoever Wins The Tag Team Turmoil For The WWE Tag Team Championship

I’m going to just split this off for each possible outcome of the turmoil and judge each team’s chances of winning the titles if they get the shot and if they should win the titles. So…

3MB: To put this nicely…. there is no way in HELL of 3MB getting close to the tag team titles. So if by some divine intervention that they win the turmoil, 3MB will have literally a 1% chance of winning the tag team titles. Sorry guys. A 3MB Tag Team Title reign would be money though. XD

Tons Of Funk: Errrr… no. Tons Of Funk have jobbed to The Shield so much in the year that if they do get the title shots, I think they’ll just job to them again. Also, I really don’t think Tons Of Funk is in a remotely good position to be considered worthy to be champions. Way too far down the tag team food chain.

The All-Americans: Just for that huge spin on Santino Marrella on RAW this Monday, Antonio Cesaro deserves to win both the WWE Championship and The World Title never mind the Tag belts. I doubt that the All-Americans would win the titles if they won the turmoil, unless of course WWE are going to somehow turn them face and have them be a really pro-USA team or something. I’ll give them a 205 chance of winning the titles if they make it to the title shots. Do they deserve it? Hell yeah does Antonio Cesaro deserve it!….. oh and Jack Swagger deserves it too, I guess.

The Prime Time Players: With their new push due to Darren Young’s coming out, I wouldn’t be surprised if the PTP finally got the belts they should have had more than a year ago. Should they be champions if they do beat The Shield? It’s a good opportunity for WWE to capitalize on the Publicity. But if I do think there’s a team that should be given the belts, it should be…

The Usos: These guys NEED to get them belts. And their rematch with The Shield needs to happen. They’ve got a good thing going and it’d be a damn shame if the PTP’s push gets in the way of The Usos rise to the titles. I can see WWE giving the belts to The Usos if they do win the Turmoil like. But, that’s all down to if the WWE choose The Usos over the PTPs to win the tag team turmoil

 

Dean Ambrose (c) vs Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship

Background: Dolph Ziggler was one of the first to speak out against Triple H’s actions at Summerslam via Twitter. As punishment, the RAW after Summerslam he was booked in a 3 on 1 handicap match with The Shield. This match eventually led to Ziggler receiving more beatdowns by The Shield, specifically the United States Champion Dean Ambrose. This eventually led to Ziggler being booked in an United States Title match with Ambrose for Night Of Champions on the SmackDown! before the event.

What Should Happen?: Dolph Ziggler shouldn’t really be competing for the US title anymore. It seems such a huge step down considering he was the World Champion in June. But I guess that’s what happens when you get in the proverbial WWE “Dog House”. Honestly, I’d rather not have Ziggler beat Ambrose to be honest, because once he gets a mid-card title again it’ll be hard for him to get back in the main title picture. Dean Ambrose wins.

What Will Happen?: Dean Ambrose wins, because Dolph Ziggler is in SERIOUS shit with WWE. Poor guy. 😦

 

CM Punk vs Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman in an Elimination Handicap Match

Background: After being double-crossed by Paul Heyman at Money In The Bank, CM Punk has been craving the chance to get his hands on Heyman. At Summerslam, he had to go through one of his clients Brock Lesnar in a No Disqualification match. Despite not being able to defeat Lesnar, he was able to lock in the Anaconda Vice on Heyman during the match. However, this was nowhere near good enough for Punk. While Heyman wanted to “take Punk back”, Punk wanted to get his hands on Heyman further. So Heyman set his other client, the Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel. After a brutal brawl between Axel and Punk on the RAW after Summerslam, Punk vs Axel was made for the next week’s RAW. Due to a vote by the WWE Universe, if Punk was able to defeat Axel, Punk would be able to get Heyman in the ring post-match. Punk got the victory and seemed like he was finally going to get a little bit more than an Anaconda Vice on Heyman. However, Axel made sure that didn’t happen and with Heyman delivered a brutal beatdown with a kendo stick to Punk. An irate CM Punk confronted RAW General Manager Brad Maddox and demanded a shot at Heyman. Maddox granted Punk’s wish and made an Elimination Handicap match between CM Punk and the team of Heyman and Axel at Night Of Champions. With it being an elimination match, if Punk beat Axel first, he would have every right in the world to fight Heyman. With Curtis Axel suffering back-to-back defeats to Kofi Kingston in the weeks before NoC and Heyman being told that if he tried to get out of the match he’d be fired, the chances of Punk getting his hands on Heyman seems a very likely possibility.

What Should Happen?: I don’t care how much internet fans bum off CM Punk, Curtis Axel needs to beat Punk. WWE have done a really bad job at promoting this themselves. While Punk and Heyman have delivered wonders on the mic in the build up, the fact that Axel is being made out to be such a weak opponent for Punk is just ridiculous. Axel being the IC Champion should have been booked to look strong against Punk, like he did when they brawled on the RAW after Summerslam. If WWE are giving up Axel this early then it’s a damn shame. While it seems inevitable that WWE are going to introduce a new “Paul Heyman Guy”, what’s wrong with the old one? Give him a decent win for once. Axel beats Punk.

What Will Happen?: This is probably one of the most predictable matches of the god damn year. Punk’s going to be Axel. Heyman’s going to try to escape from Punk. Punk’s going to get some digs in. And then this new “Paul Heyman Guy” will help Heyman out. I’m guessing this guy will probably appear to attack Punk causing a disqualification, but either way Punk will end up the one being laid out at the end of it.

 

AJ Lee (c) vs Natalya vs Brie Bella vs Naomi in a fatal four way match for the Divas Championship

Background: 8 days after Summerslam, AJ Lee appeared after a divas match between Natalya and Brie Bella, two divas that have starred in the new “Total Divas” reality show. AJ delivered a scratching promo bad-mouthing the divas, accusing them off being interchangeable, useless women that weren’t good enough to be wrestlers so they were given a reality TV Show. AJ said that the majority of the divas on the show had to “suck up” to the right people to get to the WWE and that Natalya was only in WWE because of her association with the Hart family and her father being WWE legend, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. These comments infuriated the divas on the show so much that they attacked AJ when she appeared to watch the number one contendership divas title match between Natalya, Brie Bella and Naomi 2 weeks ago on RAW. With a number one contender not being crowned, Stephanie McMahon gave Brie, Natalya and Naomi a shot at the title in a fatal four way with AJ at Night Of Champions.

What Should Happen?: AJ Wins. If another result happens, I give up on the divas division. I could sort of accept Natalya as champion, but she’s still an incredibly bland diva despite having tremendous wrestling abilities. But AJ has the overness and the mic skills to be champion, and no-one is really worthy enough to be champion yet. Especially not Naomi or Brie Bella.

What Will Happen?: AJ Wins… somehow. AJ will likely be taken out the picture earlier on, but will come in later to steal the victory. While I think WWE will be tempted to put the belt on one of the “Total Divas” due to the series coming to an end, I still think with how heavily AJ’s been booked that she’ll be champion for a LONG time.

 

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs Rob Van Dam for the World Heavyweight Championship

Background: After Ricardo Rodriguez inadvertently cost World Champion Alberto Del Rio a non-title match with Rob Van Dam a month ago, Ricardo suffered a beatdown and a firing from his employer Del Rio. After a couple of weeks out, Ricardo returned and announced that he would be the new personal ring announcer of Rob Van Dam. A week later, RVD was given a non-title match with Del Rio. If RVD won, he would get a shot at the World Championship at Night Of Champions. And luckily for RVD… he did!

What Should Happen?: I stressed this on my article on Del Rio for WhatCulture, Del Rio needs to keep beating his competition in a clean and fair way to keep up the prestige of the title up and Del Rio’s legitimacy as champion up. While having Ricardo turn on RVD and join Del Rio again would be the sensible thing to do to get Ricardo of RVD’s case, a Del Rio clean, submission victory would be huge for him. So just like how Del Rio submitted Christian at Summerslam, Del Rio should do it again to RVD. Oh and one other thing… please keep RVD and Ricardo apart. Seriously, that partnership won’t be missed.

What Will Happen?: I’m guessing WWE will just ignore me and have Ricardo screw over RVD and help Del Rio retain the title. Yawn. But whatever the case, Rob Van Dam will probably not win the World Title.

 

Randy Orton (c) vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship

Background: At Summerslam, Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena after a hard-long battle with COO Triple H as the special referee to win the WWE Championship for the first time in his career. But coming out to ruin the party was the WWE Championship Money In The Bank holder Randy Orton. Just as it seemed like he wasn’t going to bother cashing in the briefcase, Triple H stunned us all as he hit Daniel with the Pedigree – giving Randy the opening he needed. Taking advantage of opportunity, Orton cashed in and pinned Daniel to become the new WWE Champion. Triple H justified his actions the next night on RAW, stating that Randy Orton being Champion was “best for business” and that Daniel Bryan should not be the one to be the “face of the company”. An irate Daniel tried to ruin Randy’s coronation as WWE Champion, but was foiled by Triple H’s newly hired guns The Shield. Despite being considered nothing more than a B+ by the new corporation, Daniel was given his rematch clause at the title for Night Of Champions. However, the corporation has not made Daniel’s road to that event easy. The Shield has been constantly set on Bryan by Triple H, with just about every superstar in WWE being to scared of being fired to speak out against it or help Bryan out.  Despite the odds, Bryan stood tall at the end of this Monday’s RAW having beaten Dean Ambrose and laying out Randy Orton. But will he stand tall as champion at the end of Night Of Champions?

What Should Happen?: Orton wins. How bad would the corporation look if their champion would have lost the title within a month of winning it? Sorry Daniel, but he should wait a little longer before getting the gold. Orton needs to establish himself as THE guy in the WWE right now.

What Will Happen?: Orton retains. I don’t see someone turning heel to help Orton win. I just think Triple H is going to screw Daniel over somehow. I think it’ll be like when Mankind was screwed out of the title at Rock Bottom 1998. Daniel will make Orton pass out to a guillotine lock or something and then Triple H will come out and say “Since Orton didn’t get pinned or submit, Orton remains champion”. I know this corporation is not going to be exactly like the one in late 1998 and early 1999, but I do think some similar stuff will happen. Daniel’s getting screwed at Night Of Champions.

That was the Night Of Champions predictions. I am Tom Robinson. Follow me on Twitter. Follow @TomRobinson5199 and the official Armbar Express Twitter account @ArmbarExpress for blog updates and other wrestling news. Also, please read and share this new article I’ve had published for a website called WhatCulture! at this link. It’s an article by me which stresses why the Cruiserweight Division needs to be brought back to the WWE. If you click on my name at the top of that article, you’ll hopefully be able to see the other article’s I’ve uploaded on that site including one on why WWE are getting it right with Alberto Del Rio as World Champion at this link.

Random YouTube Video Of The Day! I’ve actually had a really hard week this week so I really needed to listen to a very inspiring speech  and I found one from the Rocky Balboa film which really did give me the drive to put all the shit that’s happened in the past and move forward. If you ever feel like you just wanna give up and need that drive to keep you going on watch this video. Anyway, I’ll see you later on in the week for the Night Of Champions review and possibly a RAW review. Keep connected with the @TomRobinson5199 and @ArmbarExpress Twitter accounts to keep up with all the projects I’ve got going on for the blog and for WhatCulture! Expect a lot of Social Media activity in the build up to my return to uni.

09/09/2013 RAW Review – Edge Returns And Speaks Out Against The Regime

‘Sup guys? I am the “One Man Gang” Tom Robinson with the RAW Review. A great RAW it was on Monday being held in Toronto, Canada, which is always a lively place especially for WWE. We had a lot to look forward too. Edge’s return, Goldust vs Randy Orton. Let’s get down to it!

The Returning Edge Speaks Out Against The New Regime… and his friends suffer the consequences

Great opening to the show. Edge made his return to his hometown Tornoto, Canada. Got a THUNDEROUS pop from these Canadian fans. The fans are always great when you come to Canada. It really is “Bizarro World” there. Edge justified the reaction and did some incredible work on the mic. I think when he comes back, he does help with the stories he’s put with. Here he’s helping the Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton feud. Before when he’s made these sporadic appearances, he’s help the rise of Team Hell-No, the Cena/Lesnar feud and even with Christian’s feud with Randy Orton. He’s definetly had the upper-hand in the verbal exchange with Triple H in the opening segment, and he decimated Randy Orton on the mic. He came up with a line to Orton which was something like “While my spine is in a really bad way, I least I have one”, which I thought was a great line. Anyway, after being torn apart by Edge on the mic, Triple H stated while he couldn’t really have The Shield attack Edge or put him in a match since he doesn’t work in WWE, he could go after his friends. And with that, Christian was on the receiving end of a Shield beatdown. Great opening, but again… Randy Orton seemed overshadowed by Edge, Triple H and Daniel Bryan. He only said like three sentences through-out the entire thing, and I’m sorry if I keep saying this every week but he needs more mic time.

Oh on a side note, I love how Tony Chimel has become Edge’s new personal ring announcer. Just whenever Edge returns, Chimel is brought in to unleash his patterned voice-break!  XD

Edge and Triple H have an intense backstage segment. Edge gets kicked out.

Edge and Triple H had a REALLY intense backstage segment after Christian got taken out. You can tell that the real venom Triple H had within him as heel came back because of the way he growled at Edge. Triple H could make brushing your teeth sound intense. That’s a quality that I’ve always admired him for. Yeah, at times I’m not his biggest fan, but I love him when he’s heel. You can sort of forget about how you feel about him personally when you see him as a heel just unleashing anger. Anyway, Edge got kicked out and obviously the Canadian fans booed. Both Edge and Hunter were awesome here.

Curtis Axel’s Disqualification Sees Paul Heyman’s Confidence “Slip” Away

Curtis Axel has a rematch with Kofi Kingston (who defeated Axel on SmackDown! in a poor booking decision in my opinion). It proved to be a short match as Curtis Axel gets disqualified early on for being too aggressive and ignoring the ref’s 5 count. This was followed up by Kingston hitting the Trouble In Paradise on Axel post-match, further unsettling Axel’s manager Paul Heyman. Since the handicap match between CM Punk and the team of Heyman and Axel at Night Of Champions is an elimination match, Axel getting disqualified could mean that Heyman would have to step in the ring with Punk. With his confidence in Axel dropping, Heyman dropped to the floor after apparently slipping on some water. Heyman tried to use this as an excuse to get out of the handicap match, until General Manager Brad Maddox had WWE’s Dr Samson check Heyman. After Heyman was cleared, Punk came out with kendo stick in hand and brutally beat Heyman’s personal doctor (which Heyman brought because he didn’t trust Canada’s doctors) with it. I’ve got two complaints…

1.  I get that Curtis Axel getting beat over and over and Heyman’s confidence dropping is supposed to make Axel look weak as hell in comparison to CM Punk. But, WWE have got to take into account that Curtis Axel still holds the very prestigious Intercontinental Championship. If Axel loses to a regular mid-carder like Kofi over and over, the title loses prestige. And considering the pay-per-view their handicap match is taking place is called “Night Of Champions”, he still needs to look strong against Punk and I don’t think WWE have got it right by making him look bad.
2. The fact that Brad Maddox and WWE doctors had to come out to clear the heel Paul Heyman to compete kind of takes away from the supposed evil empire of Triple H if there hindering the heels. Sure, Paul Heyman and Triple H have history blah blah blah, but it makes Brad Maddox almost seem like a face when he’s helping CM Punk. It takes away some of the evilness from the Triple H empire.

And I know a third complaint from you guys would be that CM Punk has had little to no interaction with the Triple H regime yet which completely throws continuity out of the window. But then again, WWE booked themselves into that corner when they decided that the Paul Heyman/CM Punk feud would continue after Summerslam. Having Punk drift of from the feud to confront Triple H in the build to Night Of Champions is not good for his own match. I personally think CM Punk will get involved in the “Corporation 2.0” storyline or whatever you want to call it. I just think it’ll be either after Night Of Champions, unless him and Heyman have some more unfinished business after NoC. I don’t think they’ve forgot about Punk as far as the main storyline is concerned.

Booker T tells Big Show to stay professional

OK, I have no idea what Booker T’s role in WWE is supposed to be anymore now he’s been sacked as SmackDown! General Manager. Two weeks in a row on RAW, Booker T has acted as Yoda to superstars and told them to “stay professional”. Is he just supposed to keep doing this each week or has WWE actually got something for him in mind? Booker T needs something other than this. Put him back on commentary or something. These backstage segments are becoming a little tedious.

Dolph Ziggler’s run in the dog-house continues as he loses to Bray Wyatt

This is a grave period for Dolph Ziggler fans as he is in the proverbial “dog house” of WWE. This week, he went down to Bray Wyatt as he beat him with the Sister Abigail to win. It’s a shame that drops to this level only a couple of months after he lost the World Title. Now it seems like it’s going to be a LONG way back to the top for Ziggler. He tried talking himself out of it by defending the Corporation 2.0 storyline in this article. But I doubt he’ll be anywhere near the title picture in the near future, which is a shame.

AJ Lee decimates Jerry Lawler On Commentary

Yeah, my 2nd top highlight of the show was AJ Lee’s commentary during the 6 women’s tag team match between the team of Natalya, Brie Bella and Naomi from Total Divas and the team of Layla, Aksana and Alicia Fox who are a part of AJ’s new crew. The Total Divas won a very short and un-interesting women’s match. But the best part was the commentary. AJ was at ringside and she just ripped Jerry Lawler to shreds. Really feisty on commentary, She ripped Jerry by saying “I’m a little too old for you Jerry. I’m 26. I heard you like them young” which was a really good line. I put the link to the match and her commentary below. You really should watch/listen to this. Great way to hype up the Divas title match at Night Of Champions.

Alberto Del Rio makes quick work of R-Truth, Fandango distracts The Miz

Del Rio picked up a submission win over R-Truth in preparation to his World Title match against Rob Van Dam. Slapped on the cross-armbreaker, R-Truth tapped, game over. Fandango also distracted The Miz during his match with Damien Sandow, costing Miz the match after Sandow rolled him. This thing with Fandango constantly interrupting matches is really getting annoying, as is this feud. I swear, this feud between Miz and Fandango is so bland and dull as are the both of them. -.-

Santino Marrella Returns To RAW To Upset Antonio Cesaro

A very entertaining match here between Antonio Cesaro and the returning Santino. I loved that Santino was starting to look like a good grappler in the match. Of course he’s a good wrestler, I’ve known that for years. It’s just WWE never seem to let him showcase that talent, and he might be getting that chance to. Also… Antonio Cesaro did one of the greatest feats of strength I’ve ever seen him do, which was in fact my top highlight of the show. He did his giant swing on Santino… and swung him for about 30 seconds non-stop! It really was incredible. Here it is…

Unbelievable strength. And despite all of Cesaro’s swinging… he still lost. XD

Ryback lays out RVD after getting this disqualified

A short but sweet match saw Ryback get DQ’d and follow it up with a Shell-Shocked To Rob Van Dam. The booking for the end of the match seemed a little off. Why did they have Ryback destroy RVD and make him look weak before his World Title match with Del Rio? Especially considering that RVD bested Ryback in a battle royal a month or so ago. They must have something big for Ryback to have him attack the number one contender for the World Title a week before his match.

Randy Orton Dashes Goldust’s chance to get Cody Rhodes rehired

It was a really good match between these two. Mostly because of the build around it. While it wasn’t a technical classic of a match, there was a lot of emotion behind it. Goldust showed that he was still as slick as he’s always been in the ring. The fans were into it and I loved it when Goldust hit Randy with his brother Cody Rhodes’ finisher “Cross Rhodes”. However, Randy ultimately prevailed. It was a really good match with a lot of feel towards. That was added on in the backstage segment afterwards when Stephanie rubbed salt in wounds and called him a loser. She berated Goldust with such vindication. She really has that venom in her voice as well similar to her husband Triple H. Having her do a segment is always great to see.

Daniel Bryan Finally Gets The Upper Hand On Randy Orton

After weeks of the Corporation 2.0 getting the best of Daniel Bryan, Daniel finally got his own back firstly with a win over Dean Ambrose. It was a good match and he beat him clean and beat of the Shield as well. Post-match, The Shield attack Daniel with Big Show being forced to watch on. Then the WWE Champion Randy Orton came down to the ring claiming to have Triple H’s permission to tell Big Show what to do. He instructs Big Show to knock Bryan out just as he did last week, but Big Show refused. Randy said he’d pick him up for Show, but Bryan served up a flying knee to Orton. Bryan then posed with the WWE Title. It’s good that WWE finally give Daniel something to cheer about. It doesn’t make it seem that the Corporation 2.0 is over-whelming Daniel and that he’s actually got a chance. It was a good way to end RAW.

Overall, good RAW in Canada. Great match between Goldust and Randy Orton and some great promos being cut by all sorts of people. AJ Lee, Stephanie McMahon, Edge, Triple H and even Goldust all delivered goods on the mic in build up to the pay-per-view this Sunday. I’ve just got a question… why isn’t the US Champion Dean Ambrose on the card considering he himself is a champion and all titles are supposed to be defended at Night Of Champions?

That was this week’s RAW Review. I’m Tom Robinson. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Follow us at @ArmbarExpress on Twitter and go to https://www.facebook.com/ArmbarExpress to like the Facebook Page. My Twitter account is @TomRobinson5199 so gives us a follow there as well. Also, its great to see that my Alberto Del Rio article on WhatCulture is getting a lot of views. It’s got 1000+ views since it was published on September 1st which is awesome. I’ve got something else planned on that site so stay tuned. And also, today’s the 12 year “anniversary” of the September 11 attacks. Thoughts and prayers to those affected by them horrific attacks 12 years ago.

Random YouTube video of the POST! A video I’m made of Cesaro swinging Santino… with the sound being replaced by a very appropriate song. Let’s just say this song will spin you right round! XD Someone had to do it!

The Wyatt Family Debuts On 08/07/13 Edition Of RAW – Rating The Long-Awaited Debut

Wyatt Family: They’re Here.

Evening wrestling fans, I am “The Viper” Tom Robinson with wrestling talk. I’m going to talk a bit about the Wyatt Family’s debut on RAW. Everything else on RAW last night was fine. Great match between Daniel Bryan and Sheamus. Not so sure about the appointment of “The Next Mike Adamle” Brad Maddox as general manager of RAW but at least Vickie’s not running RAW. But the most intriguing segment of the night was the Wyatt Family’s debut and that’s really what I want to talk about.

Now I think WWE was doing everything well with the Wyatt Family through-out the show. Before the show they’ve built them up pretty well and I think the WWE universe got really amped up for last night. In last night’s show they had segments in which a WWE reporter was sent to interview the Wyatt Family. While ripping on TNA’s “reporter-style” segments is a little silly to me, the segments were really gripping. I mean it was spooky, it was suspenseful and ratings wise it must have been good. Because the audience was kept in suspense and I for one wanted to know more about them and I wouldn’t be surprised if WWE got a huge ratings boost from them segments.

HOWEVER, we came to their actual debut. Right after Kane defeated Christian in a rather quick match, the titration showed the WWE reporter in a dark room with Bray Wyatt (the leader and formerly Husky Harris). He cut a interesting promo about it being “the end” and lit up a lantern. Their entrance was pretty cool as well. Their music was pretty much the same music they’ve been using for the promos and Bray was holding up a lantern and walking SLOWLY down the ring and took a seat. Then Bray blew out the lantern… and out came the family. A two on one assault from the other family members (Luke Harper and Erick Rowan) on Kane.

To be honest, it was a little bland of a beatdown. A two on one assault that rarely seemed impactful. Sure they attacked him with the steel steps, but it didn’t look THAT painful of a move (speaking from a kaybafe-prespective of course. lol). And that was it – ONE beatdown and Bray Wyatt kneeling over Kane at the end. The problem I have with this debut though is why did the Wyatt Family attack Kane. Kane’s not exactly one of the biggest dogs in the yard right now. I’d give him mid-card status. Wyatt should have really attacked someone higher up the ranks and later on in the night if they wanted to get off on the right through. In my opinion, the first thing to do to create a good debut is have it happen at the main event. The Nexus angle – happened in the main event. The Shield angle – happened in the main event. Especially a stable like the Wyatt Family who’s had months of hype leading up to this. It’s a little under-whelming to have them attack Kane. Also, the “Husky Harris” chants didn’t make Bray look good either.

I’m not saying it was a bad debut, but of all the people to attack… why Kane? And the beatdown didn’t look to good of a beatdown either. I think WWE have some groundwork to do post-Money In The Bank on these guys if they want them taking seriously. Unless of course, they show up AT Money In The Bank. I’d love it if they show up in one of the Money In The Bank ladder matches or something and destroy everyone. That would make them look badass.

Anyway… gonna leave it short and sweet. I’m Tom Robinson, this is the Armbar Express and for my Random YouTube video, I’m going to leave you with something I know you’ll all love to see… TRIPLE H FALLING OFF A BOUNCY CASTLE. XD Good night everybody! FOLLOW ME ON @TomRobinson5199 on Twitter!

17/06/2013 RAW REBOUND – Brock vs Punk, AJ vs Stephaine, and Ziggler’s Revenge

Hello lovely, lovely wrestling fans. I am “The One Man Gang” Tom Robinson. And YES, I am actually reviewing RAW! And it was a good RAW. With a LOT to talk about. I want to focus on a couple of things….

Mark Henry’s “Retirement”

MARK HENRY: Certainly Digging The Suit Bro

Yeah after a dozen of cryptic messages on Twitter teasing a potential retirement, Mark Henry interrupted WWE Champion John Cena’s promo late on in the episode of RAW. Mark Henry came out and made a typical retirement speech which was actually pretty funny. He basically thanked the fans and said “I’m coming home”. He then went to hug John Cena… and delivered a WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM to the champion and saying he’s still got a lot in the tank. Mark Henry made an emphatic statement and challenged Cena for the WWE Championship. Later on, the match was booked by Vickie Guerrero for Money In The Bank. Just a little curious why WWE would go this route if Daniel Bryan was supposed to be next line for a title shot? Sure, Daniel did hint at challenging for the WWE title himself last night but I’d figure they wouldn’t announce a WWE Title match at Money In The Bank such a short amount of time after the last one. Maybe things will change. Maybe D-Bry might fight Henry for the spot at Money In The Bank. We’ll have to wait and see.

Unlikely Alliances Sees Zeb Colter and Antonio Cesaro Join Forces

ANTONIO CESARO AND ZEB COLTER: Yeah, because this makes total sense right?

Really WWE? Really? This has no logic in it at all. You’re telling me that Zeb Colter, a man who has banged on for months about being a “Real American” and people from other countries coming into America and taking their jobs, is suddenly going to join forces with a Swiss-Born man who shits on America all the time Antonio Cesaro? This is probably the dumbest thing WWE has ever done. Yeah if WWE had Colter change his ways and start appreciating foreigners it’d make some sense. But Colter said Cesaro embodies a “Real American”. It’s hypocritical and it baffles me beyond belief. How can this alliance possibly work? It’s ridiculous. Oh yeah, his match with one William Regal (yes he got a match on RAW for once) was a short but sound technical wrestling bout. It’s nice seeing grapplers like this squaring off. We need more on the scene in WWE.

Damien Sandow defeats Sheamus… sort of

DAMIEN SANDOW: Big Victory For The Intellectual Saviour Of The Masses

Well Sandow won a handicap match with Cody Rhodes, but it’s cool that Sandow’s not walking out of this feud (assuming it’s over) winless. Big win over a top superstar for Sandow, even if it was off a roll up. Sandow beat Sheamus and that’s awesome.

“The Instant Classic” Christian Returns After 10 Months On The Shelf

CHRISTIAN: Returning Christian Acting Like He’s Won The Olympics

Good news for the Christian Coalition. Christian returned and defeated Wade Barrett (-.-) on his return. It’s nice seeing Christian back around Money In The Bank period. I hope that Christian gets pushed back into the World Title scene, especially with Del Rio as World Champion. His match with Barrett was short, but the return got the fans excited and let’s see what Captain Charisma has in store for us.

The AJ Lee/Stephanie McMahon Confrontation

AJ LEE AND STEPHANIE MCAMAHON: If you could have any two women in a WWE segment, it’d likely be these two.

Now I LOVED this segment. Two of my favourite women in professional wrestling history engaging in a confrontation on RAW. The similarities between these two are so evident and AJ held her own against Stephanie on the mic. It’s good that the Divas Champion AJ has got a chance to have a verbal exchange with someone as important in WWE as Stephanie. AJ is also documented of being a HUGE fan of Stephanie and this has to be a little buzz for her too. This was a great segment and when it gets uploaded on YouTube (Give it time. It will) watch it. This was such a great segment to see. Of course, Kaityln and the rest of the divas sort of ruined it at the end but I bet a lot of you were buzzing after watching that segment. I know I was.

POWER IS EVERYTHING – Vince McMahon, Triple H and Stephanie battle for control of RAW

I’m starting to dig this storyline of power-struggle between the McMahons. Who doesn’t like a good family feud? It was class seeing Vickie Guerrero in the middle of Triple H and Vince arguing about how to handle business and Stephanie getting a little bit of input too. This storyline could really work, but I didn’t get why the Triple H vs Curtis Axel thing was sort of dropped? I mean they did advertise it on WWE.com. Hmmmmmmmm.

Daniel Bryan Injured In Battle With Randy Orton

DANIEL BRYAN: Hurt After NoDQ match with Randy Orton

Yeah, apparently this was not a storyline injury. According to this article in NoDQ.com, “the storyline where Daniel Bryan suffered a stinger during his match with Randy Orton was actually a legitimate injury. Bryan was originally scheduled to win against Orton, but once the injury occurred, plans changed and the match was stopped.” Yeah, this may have been the reason why Bryan was pulled from Money In The Bank but I hope this isn’t too serious. Daniel Bryan is on a roll. He’s super-over with the fans, his in-ring has been exceptional. The writers are behind him. However, an injury will cause all that momentum to crack. He is still scheduled to compete against Dean Ambrose on the SmackDown! tapings so I wonder if he’ll be pulled.

Alberto Del Rio Turns His Back On The Fans And Dolph Ziggler Gets Revenge

DOLPH ZIGGLER: Payback For Getting Beat at errr… Payback

Funnily enough, RAW actually started with the World Heavyweight Champion. When was the last time the World Champion started-off a RAW post-PPV? Normally it’s either John Cena or some other mega-star. I guess they want the World Title to mean something again. And I think that was confirmed when CM Punk of all people confronted the new World Champion (we’ll get on to CM Punk in a bit). Anyway, Del Rio vs CM Punk was booked for the main event. The match was alright, but it ended in a count out when Del Rio chose the cowardly route out of the match with Punk. And while he ran, Ziggler attacked Del Rio! Ziggler got a great reaction. The fans wanted Ziggler to come out all night and Ziggler got a massive FACE reaction. This double-turn with Del Rio turning heel and Ziggler turning face might actually be a stroke of genius on WWE’s part. Now on to the big one….

Brock Lesnar confronts CM Punk

CM PUNK AND BROCK LESNAR: If you watched this, you got goosebumps.

Yeah, what a way to end RAW. The show saw CM Punk seemingly show Heyman the door. He said he’s always going to be a Paul Heyman guy, but he needs to be by himself right now and gain momentum. And Heyman agreed to not get involved in his match with Del Rio. Then CM Punk won via count-out against Del Rio. CM Punk celebrates in the ring. BUT THEN…..

HOLY SHIT! LET THE ROAD TO SUMMERSLAM BEGIN! Brock Lesnar comes out at the end of Raw and F5’s CM Punk. What a class ending. This feud has been rumoured and talked about for years! And now it’s finally coming to fruition. It’ll likely be Summerslam. I don’t think these two will clash at Money In The Bank. I think this is just laying the ground work. CM Punk will do something else at Money In The Bank and fight Lesnar at Summerslam. The battle of the Paul Heyman Guys! I’m looking forward to the next couple of months in the build up to this match. It appears CM Punk will be the face in this feud and that’s fine. It’s gonna be a hell of a journey from now until Summerslam for these two. HERE COMES THE PAIN!

Anyway! Epic RAW. Loving everything that went on last night. There are a couple things I haven’t talked about like Chris Jericho’s match with Heath Slater and Curtis Axel vs Sin Cara but there was a lot of things going on last night. I just had to focus on the big areas of last night. Really good RAW heading into Money In The Bank. A couple of returns, a couple of confrontations and we saw BROCK LESNAR. It was probably the best RAW I’ve seen all year. And yeah, that beats the RAW after Wrestlemania. Just a great night of wrestling and drama last night.

That was the RAW review. I’m Tom Robinson and I want too leave you with this random theme song that is really fit for the real man’s man. XD

WWE Payback 2013 Review – CM Punk vs Chris Jericho III, Shocking Title Changes And Double Turns In Chicago

Morning wrestling fans, I’m “The Ultimate Warrior” Tom Robinson here with a review of WWE Payback. Yes, I watched it live last night! 1am to 4am. Shattered at the end of it, but it was certainty worth it. WWE put on a great show here. I think it was just better than Extreme Rules, and that’s saying a lot considering how good Extreme Rules was. Anyway, let’s get down to the REVIEW!

Curtis Axel Gives His Father The Perfect Father’s Day Present With The Intercontinental Title

CURTIS AXEL AND PAUL HEYMAN: A “perfect” end for Curtis Axel

We kicked off the show with a decent triple threat Intercontinental Championship match. Chicago booed The Miz, sort of on the fence with Wade Barrett… but cheered the hell out of the son of the late “Mr Perfect” Curt Henning, Curtis Axel. It was a slick match with a really cool ending. And Chicago went wild when the inevitable happened – Axel became the new champion following his father’s footsteps. As Miz had Barrett in the figure four (still being booed), Axel covered Barrett for the pinfall while he was locked in the submission. A clever way to end the match. As much as I don’t like Wade Barrett losing the title, this was a great moment mostly due to the Chicago crowd going nuts, especially when Axel hit his father’s Perfect-Plex. Good opening to Payback

AJ Lee FINALLY wins the Divas Championship In The Best WWE Women’s match In Years

AJ LEE: Totally marked out when this happened. 🙂

AJ and Kaitlyn really did have something to prove. TNA unleashed the epic Last Knockout Standing match between Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell at Slammiversary a couple of weeks back, and WWE had to top that if WWE at all cared about their divas division. And I for one was really impressed with what AJ and Kaitlyn were able to pull off last night. For one it lasted a hell of a lot longer than most divas matches in WWE. Second, the match had great story-telling behind it. Remember, these two started in WWE together in 2010, been a tag team, slapped each other in the place a lot, break each other’s heart and finally have the one on one encounter. These two actually put on a decent show in Chicago. Was it on the par with Gail vs Taryn? No. But I wouldn’t be surprised if more matches will result in better quality in the ring. AJ is already a great women’s wrestler. Kaitlyn is improving and we could see that here. AJ winning is definetly something that should have happened ages ago. But, at least it’s finally happened and I actually marked out when it did.

I hope this feud continues on. I want to see what these two can REALLY do together. If WWE play it right, they can use these two to rebuild the women’s division into something worthwhile. I think this feud will continue because Kaitlyn’s starting to become the emotional wreck AJ was last year, when she cried after losing the title. To be honest, I thought the crying was a little over the top. In fact my exact thoughts at that time was….

US Champion Dean Ambrose Retains After Count Out Win Against Kane

DEAN AMBROSE: BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!

A little bit disappointing match with a disappointing an end. I’m not a big fan of matches ending in a count out, especially PPV matches. PPV Title matches should always have a legit winner by pinfall or submission. This match seemed pretty much like the match they had on RAW except the ending was different. I think if they’d given Ambrose and Kane a no dq match, things would have actually been a little bit better. I think they will do that eventually because of the DQ and Count Out endings in their last to matches.

The Whole F’Ing Show Comes Back At Money In The Bank!

This promo video is purely orgasmic. RVD back in the WWE. Back where he belongs is awesome. As much as I like TNA, Rob Van Dam wasn’t really a fit there. Him back in WWE was epic and the fans just chanted “RVD” the rest of the night in Chicago. Even if this is a short-term contract for Van Dam, the time he is back will be the time I will be most appreciative of. There are so many matches I want him to have while he’s here. Matches with CM Punk. Matches with Daniel Bryan. Matches with a lot of superstars. RVD is here and I am loving this. He has been one of my favourites since I started watching wrestling and it’s great to see him back.

Double Turn Shocker Sees A New World Champion!

ALBERTO DEL RIO: Another Del Rio title reign… can he really cut it as a World Champion?

And his name is….

Yeah, total shocker here. An incredibly one-sided match which Alberto Del Rio targetted Dolph Ziggler’s head saw Del Rio regain the World Title in a very hell way. Because of Ziggler’s recent concussion Del Rio delivered brutal kicks and brutal attacks to Ziggler and a superkick to the face was enough to pick up the win for Del Rio. Not exactly a fan of Ziggler’s title reign being cut short, but I’ll give WWE credit for the Double Turn. The crowd was rightly outraged and Del Rio gained a LOT of heat. Del Rio was gaining heat anyway against this pro-Ziggler crowd, but after the manner of his victory and the promo cut afterwards Del Rio was booed by all. Ziggler refusing to stop the match also gives him a lot of credibility as a face. But now we have a new champion in Del Rio and we had a double turn, with Dolph Ziggler turning face and Del Rio turning heel. It was kinda cool to see because double-turns are really rare nowadays. I’m not exactly sure I’m looking forward to Del Rio as champion again, but Ziggler as a face will be amazing to watch. I hope he gets the title back PRONTO.

CM Punk vs Chris Jericho III – The Return Of Punk

CHRIS JERICHO AND CM PUNK: Locking up in Chicago

For the third time in Pay-Per-View Chris Jericho and the returning CM Punk clashed and for the third time in pay-per-view they blew the roof off the place. Such true technical wrestling ability combined with the quickness and pure talent both Punk and Jericho provided. This match was easily the best in their trilogy with near-fall after near-fall and epic moment after epic moment. This will go down as one of the best matches of the year and these two were a delight in Chicago and Chicago loved every second of it. After an epic encounter, it was CM Punk who reigned supreme… again. I would’ve like for Jericho to get a victory over Punk for once but I’m sure Jericho’s going to get the win… eventually. But this was Punk’s night. I wonder what the future has in store for the Best In The World.

AGAIN! Randy Orton doesn’t turn heel! -.-

DANIEL BRYAN: Nice suplex off the top of the turn-buckle. He’ll be champion again. You wait and see!

Please turn him! That’s all I ask of you WWE. He should have done it at Mania but he didn’t. He should have done it here but he didn’t. His tag match with Daniel Bryan against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins wasn’t much special, but at least Randy Orton could have RKO’d Daniel again or something. Really disappointed. Speaking of disappointment…

Ryback vs John Cena – 3 STAGES OF HELL

JOHN CENA: Standing tall at the end of Payback

Yawn. Can’t believe I stayed up to watch this. Boring as hell. You know after their quality Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules, I was expecting a good match here. Instead we got a short and unproductive Lumberjack match. We got boring as tables match. And we had an ambulance match that made you want to kill yourself. -.- John Cena walked out the champion and that was an awful way for the feud to end. It ends just like every other one of Cena’s feuds with big guys end. Batista, The Great Khali, Kane and now Ryback all end in the same god damn way. Go watch the endings to them feuds. It’s the exact same thing over again. -.- At least John Cena vs Daniel Bryan is lined up for Money In The Bank. CANNOT wait for that. We might actually see one of the matches of the year in MITB.

Anyway, that was the Payback review. I’m Tom Robinson. And I’m going to leave you with this great song declaring my love for the great place known… as Chicago.

WWE Payback 2013 Predictions – Chicago Gets Rocked With Ambulences, Concussions And CM Punk’s Return

Hey there wrestling fans I am “The Fallen Angel” Tom Robinson and here are my predictions for this Sunday’s PPV – WWE Payback. To be honest, PPV has been poorly promoted. Only three matches have had proper promotion leading up to the event, with 5 of the matches being ann0unced on the last RAW before PPV. Even still, there are some great matches on the card. The Internet Wrestling Community’s God CM Punk makes his triumphant return in his hometown of Chicago. The in-ring return of Dolph Ziggler. And we’ve got 3 Stages Of Hell as the main event for Payback!

Sheamus vs Damien Sandow

Background: Typical Brute vs Intellectual feud. Intellectual Damien Sandow gives Brute Sheamus some intellectual challenges. Sheamus responds with violence. Match announced for Payback.

What I think should happen?: Damien Sandow wins.

What I think will happen?: Sheamus wins.

 

The Shield Vs The World – United States Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs Kane/Tag Team Championship: Seth Rollins (c) and Roman Reigns (c) vs Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton

Background: The Shield reigned supreme at Extreme Rules with each member of the team capturing gold. Dean Ambrose defeated Kofi Kingston to win the US title, and Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins won the tag titles from Kane and Daniel Bryan. The loss of the tag titles hit Daniel Bryan the hardest. Daniel started to wonder whether he was the weak-link of Team Hell-No and was determined to prove himself. This cause Daniel Bryan to snap and at times was even able to take out all 3 members of The Shield by himself. However on the 7th of June episode of SmackDown!, Kane was getting fed up with Daniel’s craziness and walked out on Daniel, splitting up Team Hell-No. Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns was booked for the main event of that SmackDown! During the match Daniel Bryan inadvertently drop-kicked Randy Orton in the corner but recovered and looked like he was about to win the match for the team. However, after Dean Ambrose got involved, the match ended in a DQ. After saving Daniel from a beating post-match, Orton RKO’d Bryan in retaliation for the dropkick. Kane, Orton and Bryan eventually settled their differences last week on RAW, with Kane getting a DQ victory over Dean Ambrose, and Bryan beating Rollins. “Managing Supervisor” Vickie Guerrero would put Bryan and ORTON in a Tag Title match at Payback against Rollins and Reigns due to their DQ victory on SmackDown! Because of his DQ victory over Ambrose, Kane was given a US title match for the PPV.

What I think should happen?: ORTON TURNS HEEL! PLEASE! Turn him heel like right now! If the tag title match ends with Orton planting Bryan with an RKO and costing them the match, it’d be a quality way to get Bryan super-face and Orton super-heel. So I say, Rollins and Reigns win the tag title match. As for the US title match, I’m going with Ambrose. It’s good that Ambrose is getting some legit competition for the US Title.

What I think will happen?: The Sheild win both matches. There’s no way Kane is getting a US Title run. And there’s NOT A CHANCE IN HELL that Orton and Bryan will get a run at the tag titles.

 

Intercontinental Championship: Wade Barrett (c) vs The Miz vs Curtis Axel – The Concussion Strikes Back!

Background: On the RAW after Extreme Rules, Wade Barrett and Fandango teamed up to take on The Miz and Chris Jericho in a tag team match. However, Fandango opted to dance than help Barrett out, who went on to lose the match for his team. A one on one match was booked on the next RAW with Fandango facing Wade Barrett in a non-title match. The Miz was voted in as the special referee and hit the Skull-Crushing finale on Barrett to help Fandango win. Post-match, Miz kicked Fandango’s ass (literally booted him in the backside) which prompted Miz vs Barrett vs Fandango to be booked for the IC title at Payback. HOWEVER the menace known as the concussion would strike again, as Fandango gained a concussion during a match with Zack Ryder on SmackDown! This meant he was OUT of the IC title match… and was replaced with Paul Heyman’s newest client Curtis Axel.

What I think should happen?: As much as I don’t want Wade Barrett to lose the IC title, it’d make no sense for Curtis Axel to not win it. I think with Paul Heyman on board, Axel can build up a really good title reign with Heyman being his mouthpiece. I will actually cry if The Miz wins the IC title. 😦

What I think will happen?: Axel will probably win, whether I like it or not.

 

Former Best Friends Collide In Chicago – Divas Championship: Kaitlyn (c) vs AJ Lee

Background: The history between these two is well documented. AJ and Kaitlyn entered the WWE around the same time, entering NXT Season 3 and forming the “highly-successful” divas tag team The Chickbusters. At around the end of 2011, AJ and Kaitlyn’s relationship started to go sour with Kaitlyn taking a distaste towards AJ’s new boyfriend Daniel Bryan. After AJ and B-Bry’s break-up in April 2012, Kaitlyn attempted to console the heartbroken AJ. She instead got slapped in the face – two weeks in a row. AJ soon became an emotional wreck, engaging in relationships with the likes of Kane and CM Punk, and being heart-broken by both. Her reign as RAW General Manager also came to an end at October 2012 after accusations of fraternizing with WWE Superstar John Cena. After being re-instated as a wrestler, she soon took a more sinister approach to life and started a relationship with Dolph Ziggler at the end of 2012. In 2013 Kaitlyn would have enough of AJ’s craziness, and was attacked numerous times by AJ over the next couple of months. Just before Extreme Rules, AJ became the number one contender for the Divas Championship held by Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn and AJ would have a confrontation at Extreme Rules, which would result in Kaityln attacking AJ this time. AJ would then play with Kaitlyn’s heart in relation for Kaitlyn “not being there for her” during her emotional roller-coaster in 2012. She would have a “secret admirer” harrass Kaitlyn with messages of love. This would lead to this last Monday on RAW…
What I think should happen?: AJ Lee wins the title!

What I think will happen?: I think they’ll have AJ win the title. It’ll sort of provides shades of the “McMahon-Helmsley” era with boyfirend and girlfriend reigning as champions of their divisions. Speaking of which…

 

World Heavyweight Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Alberto Del Rio

Background: On the RAW after Wrestlemania 29, Ziggler cashed in Money In The Bank on Alberto Del Rio to win the World Title. Then Ziggler got a concussion and was unable to defend her championship at the Extreme Rules PPV. At Extreme Rules, Del Rio made Jack Swagger in an I Quit Match to become the number one contender for the world title. The World Title match between Ziggler and Del Rio was announced for Payback last week on RAW, when Ziggler made his return.

What I think should happen?: Dolph Ziggler retains.

What I think will happen?: CONCUSSION… err.. I mean Dolph Ziggler retains.

 

The Return Of Punk – “The Internet Wrestling Community’s God” CM Punk vs “Y2J” Chris Jericho

Background: 2 weeks after losing to The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 29, CM Punk was supposed to address his loss on RAW. However, Punk was speechless and left the ring and said farewell to manager Paul Heyman. On the May 27th edition of the Highlight Reel, Chris Jericho asked Paul Heyman where CM Punk was. Heyman refused to answer that but did accept Jericho’s offer of a match between Jericho and Punk at Payback on Punk’s behalf.

What I think should happen?: I think there should be a double cross of some kind. I think CM Punk should have the momentum in his hometown crowd and then Heyman distracts Punk allowing Jericho to win. Something like that which sees Jericho FINALLY get a win over Punk, turns him heel and also doesn’t harm Punk. I’d like to see this scenario go down, but I don’t think it will.

What I think will happen?: CM Punk wins for the THIRD time in a row. I don’t think WWE want CM Punk losing to Jericho in Chicago in his comeback match.

 

The 3 Stages Of HEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLL – WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs Ryback

Background: At Extreme Rules, Ryback and John Cena’s Last Man Standing match ended in a no contest when Ryback drove Cena through the stage “incapacitating” both men. The next night on RAW, Ryback challenged John Cena to an Ambulence match. In response, Cena proposed a match that has only ever appeared 3 times before in WWE history… the 3 stages OF HELL! The first fall would be a lumberjack match… 30 superstars surrounding the ring to pick up the scraps if one or both Ryback or Cena goes outside the ring. The second fall would be a tables match… whoever puts his opponent through a table wins. And the third and final fall if needd… well then the Ambulence match comes into place.

What I think should happen?: A little bit on the fence with this one. I don’t want Ryback to lose his 8th PPV match in a row (And yes, I am counting the no contest at Extreme Rules as a loss since he didn’t win the title). On the other hand, I wouldn’t want the championship to change hands 2 months into Cena’s reign. Also I want Cena to be champion for when Daniel Bryan fights for the title this summer. So it’s the case of character development vs championship presitge. And I’ve got to chose the championship prestige. Cena wins, but Ryback needs something big after his feud with Cena ends.

What I think will happen?: Cena wins.

 

Anyway, that’s the Payback predictions. I’m Tom Robinson. This is the Armbar Express. And let us all enjoy Payback!

TNA Slammiversary 2013 Review – Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell Steal The Show In The Best PPV Of The Year

GAIL KIM AND TARYN TERRELL: What happens when you put Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell in a Last Knockouts Standing match? You get insanity!

Evening wrestling fans, I’m The “King Of The Mountain” Tom Robinson here with a quick recap/review of Slammiversary last Sunday before Impact airs tonight.

I got to admit, it was a hell of a PPV. If all TNA PPVs delivered are going to be this good than this new four-PPV-per-year strategy may be a stroke of genius.

The show kicked off with the high-flying X-Division Championship Ultimate X match with Kenny King defending against Suicide and Chris Sabin. As usual, a quality Ultimate X Match with all 3 guys given plenty of time to showcase their skills. 15 minutes of high-impact, wham and bang stuff from the X-Division with Chris Sabin getting the Win. Hulk Hogan came out and re-assured Sabin that he’d get a chance to cash-in the X-Division title for a World title shot in the summer. It’s good to hear that the Destination-X Stipulation is still in tact despite Destination X not being around again. I think with that stipulation plus with the returning X-Division guys like Sabin, Suicide and Petey Williams, the X-Division is certainty on the right tracks and it can be a force to be reckoned with again.

We then got a segment with Hulk Hogan being confronted by Mr Anderson, Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff of the Aces And Eights which led to their match against Samoa Joe, Magnus and the returning Jeff Hardy. I loved Hogan’s segment with Aces And Eights, and him calling Garrett and his father Eric a bitch. Definitely giving the middle finger to any parental TV ratings that get in their way. XD Anyway, Team TNA won in an OK 6-Man Tag. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from it anyway but at least this got Jeff back in the ball game and into the fight with Aces And Eights. I just hope TNA don’t have Jeff dominate them like Kurt Angle did for a period after they got full access at Bound For Glory.

Incredibly short and not that special match between Jay Bradley and Sam Shaw followed which saw Bradley pick up the victory with his BOOMSTICK clothesline, which provoked me to shout at the top of my lungs….

Anyway, this victory meant tha#t Jay Bradley is now in the Bound For Glory series. It’ll be nice to see Bradley having more TV time with his Bound For Glory participation.

Up next was supposed to be Devon defending the TV Title against Joseph Park. However after Joseph was taken out by Aces And Eights backstage beforehand, Devon was awarded the victory. However, Devon was then given a 2nd opponent for the night…. THE MONSTER ABYSS! And typically enough, Abyss won the title without breaking a sweat! What a badass! I really hope this is the end for the Joseph Park thing. Just let Abyss come back full-time and defend his title like he should. Anyway, great that Abyss is the TV champion. Not a great night for Aces And Eights so far…

And in a pretty good 16 MINUTE fatal four way elimination tag team match we crowned NEW TNA Tag Team Champions! Yes, Chavo and Hernandez were eliminated shortly after Christopher Daniels and Kazarian were eliminated for getting DQ’d. Then it came down to the team of Austin Aires and Bobby Roode and team of Gunner and “The Cowboy” James Storm. In a really back and forth finish to the match, Gunner made Aires tap to the torture rack to win the titles for him and Storm. I loved the ending to this match. It kept you in suspense thinking which team would win, and it was a great exchange between all 4 teams to be honest. A great elimination 4 way tag match. Honestly shocked by the result of this. I figured this team was just booked in the match just to make the numbers. However, it appears that these two are getting a run at the tag titles, and it’ll be interesting to see how they are utilized. At least it gets James Storm doing something. XD

Now we get on to the match of the night… Taryn Terrell vs Gail Kim in a Last Knockout Standing match. If you haven’t watched the match yet, here’s a YouTube link (Sorry that it’s flipped horizontally. I’m assuming this guy uploaded it this way to prevent it being taken down for copyright)….

UNBELIEVABLE! 10 minutes of f’ing insanity! When was the last time you saw women wrestlers do these sorts of things and take them sorts of bumps? It was so… brutal! Chairs were involved! Gail Kim ran head first into a chair which got me marking out. The fans were so into this match. HOLY SHIT chants and THIS IS AWESOME chants just erupted in Boston. This crowd was amazing through-out the night! But they loved this match. Taryn’s little diamond cutter of the stage onto the floor was insane. I bet you about 75% of internet wrestling fans that was giving Taryn beef over her wrestling have changed their mind over her now. That was a gutsy performance from both of them. TMZ uploaded some of the photos of Taryn’s bruises after the match. Click here for the link. If one of your women’s matches gets covered by TMZ, you know you’re doing something right. That’s probably the greatest women’s match I’ve ever seen. And I’m not overselling it either. Crowd were great, the women were great. It was just incredible what I was watching thinking “OH MY GOD!” Insane!

AJ Styles FINALLY got a new theme song as he made his down the ring to face Kurt Angle (who got inducted into the TNA Hall Of Fame. Good inductee, but a little bit early for him. I was hoping it’d be Jeff Jarrett). It was a really badass theme song too. I’ll post it down below. These two put on a good match. I’m not sure I agree with the decision to give Angle the victory. I think AJ needed to win if he was being built up to defeat Bully Ray and save TNA. A loss like this is not going to do AJ any good. Ended a little abruptly too, but it was still good. There was one really good sequence where Angle tried a top rope German Suplex on AJ, which saw AJ flipped and he ended up landing on his feet which I thought was incredible. It was a good match, but AJ should have won.

And finally, the TNA World Title match. Sting vs Bully Ray for the TNA World Title. It was a brutal no holds barred match. There was freaking piledrivers for gods sake. One of the most dangerous moves in wrestling which even Bully said wrestlers weren’t supposed to do. As you’d expect Aces And Eights got involved. And as you’d expect, they helped Bully win. Mr Anderson gave Bully the hammer, who smashed Sting in the head with it to retain the title. That means Sting is now out of the TNA World title picture… FOREVER! Muahahahahaha! Unless they pull out some bogus ruling that overturns the decision or something like that. And if they do that, TNA are a bunch of knobheads. XD Still a great match, to end a phenomenal PPV.

No doubt my favourite PPV of the year. There’s was a lot of action and some insane matches at Slammiversary. Really looking forward to what happens next in TNA. It’s a great way to begin the Road to Bound For Glory for TNA.

Oh and before I leave…. here’s AJ Styles’ new theme song. Pretty badass don’t you think?

Weekly Wrestling Round-Up: The Fandango Revolution, Dolph Ziggler Cashes In, Bully Ray Retains

Evening Wrestling fans, I’m the “Show-Off” Thomas Robinson and I’m here to show of my GIANT BEAST…..

…of a blog.

Yes, an eventful week of wrestling, which I’m going to sum up in one blog, as it’s difficult for me to do 2 separate blogs for RAW and Impact Wrestling on top of uni work and other things. So, for the foreseeable future, I am going to start blogging about RAW and TNA on the same blog at the end of the week or something. And I’m also going to add SmackDown! to the picture if it’s any good and if I can be bothered. So let’s get to it…

RAW

What a RAW it was this week. Largely due to the awesomeness of the fans in New Jersey. I always say that the fans can make a show, and this is certainly the case here. This was one of the best crowds I have ever heard, and that is NOT an exaggeration. They weren’t shitting on matches all night, they were having fun instead. Like in the Sheamus vs Randy Orton match, rather than doing chants like “Same old shit” and “Boring” they were just having fun and chanting random wrestlers’ names. JBL, HBK, RVD, Randy Savage, Jerry Lawler, even Michael Cole and Mike Chioda got chants. ECW chants were at large too! They did a wave during the match! There were “Thank You Big Show” and “Cotton Candy” chants when The Big Show interfered in their match. It wasn’t that great of a match, but it’ll always live long in the memory because of the fans.

There were all sorts of chants that night, and obviously the part that stood out the most was when the fans started humming Fandango’s theme, thus starting the Fandango Revolution! The fans humming his theme was made a lot funnier when Michael Cole pointed it out, and JBL and Lawler caught on. XD Absolutely hilarious. And to be honest, I’m not that big of a Fandango fan, but if this gets him incredibly over in time, then I’ll have to change my tune about him! His theme got to 13th in the UK iTunes charts which I think is absolutely incredible.

But the show wasn’t great, JUST because of the fans. There were a lot of moments that made this show awesome. Wade Barrett regained the Intercontinental Championship against The Miz in a better and longer match they put on at Wrestlemania. I loved the “Wade Barrett’s Barmy Army” chant during the match. But why did Wade Barrett lose the belt at Mania in the first place if he was just going to win it back the next night? Seems like a strange move to me.

Undertaker’s promo on RAW was interrupted by The Shield, who looked like they were about to pounce, until Team-Hell No made the save, which could suggest a 6 man tag at Extreme Rules. I loved how Daniel Bryan joined Undertaker and Kane in the Brothers of Destruction pose on the top of the ramp. He’s the only man beside Taker or Kane to do it, and it just shows how far he’s come. I mean he did lose to Big E Langston on Raw that night, but still you get my point.

Dolph Ziggler FINALLY cashed in Money In The Bank and became the World Heavyweight Champion! He defeated Alberto Del Rio to win the World Title! While I’m glad he’s champion, I’m not happy with the timing. I personally think he should have ran down the clock, and waited until Money In The Bank 2013 to cash it in. But, what’s done is done, and Ziggler was definitely one of the highlights of the show on RAW.

Lastly, WWE Champion John Cena’s Wrestlemania Victory speech was interrupted by “Mr That’s What I Do” Mark Henry, who demanded a shot at the WWE Title. However, SmackDown! GM Booker T (who apparently has the say on Raw too) told him he had to earn his shot and booked him in a non-title match with Cena. We also got the fans singing Mark Henry’s theme song when he came out! The match ended in a count out, which then saw Henry attack Cena. But then IN COMES THE CALVARY! Ryback attacks Henry, and gets him out the ring. He then helps Cena up and begins the “Feed Me More” chants before clobbering Cena with a clothesline to the delight of the New Jersey fans! He then hit the Shell-Shocked on Cena, and held the WWE Championship high! I personally don’t think that this is a heel turn though. I think he’s just sending a message to Cena. And, it appears they will be doing John Cena vs Ryback at Extreme Rules! However, what saddens me about that is if John Cena beats Ryback, that’ll be SEVEN pay-per-view defeats in a row. How can Ryback be considered a big player in WWE with all these losses?

TNA Impact Wrestling

Another live edition of TNA, and I do prefer the live editions to the tapped editions. However, this crowd was rather disappointing to be frank. Especially after the crowds of the last couple of months on Impact, and the Raw Crowd on Monday too. But, it was still a rather interesting show of Impact. Just a couple of points to talk about…

To be honest, the 2 out of 3 falls match between the team of Bobby Roode and Austin Aires, and the team of Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez was kind of a let down too. I love how they had Aires and Roode ambush Chavo and Hernandez from behind to get an easy first fall, and then Chavo got a quick 2nd fall afterwards. It was something different, and I always appreciate different. However, I don’t appreciate Roode and Aires dropping the titles. I don’t understand this. TNA had something good going with that team, and they for some reason wanted them to drop the belts? And to all the teams they could have dropped them to, why this team? I’m not a fan of the team of Chavo and Hernandez, and I do hope this was put in place for a cheap pop. Roode and Aires need them titles more than Chavo and Hernandez.

Taryn Terrell defeated Gail Kim in a grudge match between the two knockouts, in a fair match. The inclusion of ODB was a very funny inclusion, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen her, so it’s good to see her again. I think Taryn still needs more work in the ring, but she did look fine in that attire – AND THAT’S A PLUS IN MY BOOKS!

There was another angle involving AJ Styles and James Storm, with James interrupting Hulk Hogan’s conversation with AJ. “Bad Influence” Christopher Daniels and Kazarian came down to the ring, and both of them cut a good promo, asking for AJ to join them rather than the TNA Frontline or Aces And Eights. It’s nice that TNA have brought in a neutrality feel to the war between TNA and Aces And Eights. AJ Styles vs James Storm was booked for next week. Not exactly sure if it’ll actually happen, but if it does than great. I’d love to see them get it on next week.

And finally, Bully Ray retained the TNA World Title in Full Metal May-HEEEEEEEEEEEEEMM! It was an OK match. In comparison with Bully and Jeff Hardy’s previous TLC matches, it was shit, but as a match in general it was OK. There were cool spots, with Jeff doing the Swanton from the turnbuckle onto the outside which was rather cool. Bully won by hitting Jeff in the head with hammer, that sent him crashing through the table. Bully has won this chapter of the battle with TNA, but next week should have some new developments. I think it’s safe to say Bully is done with Jeff.

SmackDown!

A couple of quick notes. Firstly, Ziggler getting interrupted 3 times in the same promo was funny too see. Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio came out to declare their interest in the World Title, before Chris Jericho came out and ripped on Ziggler and AJ, calling the latter crazy, which made her go crazy. Jericho vs Ziggler was made for the main event, with Fandango at ringside. Alright match, followed by Fandango beating down Jericho. I think WWE edited the crowd an awful lot here. From what I heard in the tapings, the Fandango theme sing-song was quite load at the SmackDown! taping. Hmmm.

And secondly, a Triple H promo was interrupted by the 3MB, who was about to jump Triple H in typical stable style. That was interrupted by The Shield, who took out 3MB, and went after Triple H themselves. HHH was saved by Team Hell-No. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with Team Hell-No and The Shield for Extreme Rules. Will they just do a tag match, or will they do a 6 man tag with Undertaker involved? I’d like to see the later, if Undertaker is OK to do it. But a Shield “free-bird” run as champions would be cool with more. Or Reigns and Rollins could hold the tag titles, and Dean Ambrose could go for the main title. One of them two scenarios is OK with me. Either way, I think Team Hell-No’s days as Tag Champs are coming to an end.

And that’s it for me. The Big Three Shows of the week, covered in one MEGA-BLOG for you all. This is Tom Robinson, and I’m going to leave with this…..

Du-du! Du-du-du-du! Du-du-du-du-du!

#ThemeOfTheWeek XD

Wrestlemania baby! WOOOOOO! WWE Wrestlemania 29 Preview and PREDICTIONS!

Guys. On Sunday, it’s event everyone is waiting for. It happens only once a year. It is shown all around the world. And it is the pinnacle of sports entertainment. Ladies and gentleman…. are you ready?

NO! I SAID…..

ARE YOU READY?

Then….. LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLETS GET READY TO PREDICT IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTT!

…….Yeah.

WRESTLEMANIA 29 IS THIS SUNDAY! Sunday Night for the US. Monday Morning for the UK. And if I wasn’t back at University on Monday, I’d be watching this event LIVE! But I’m not. But when I do eventually watch it (thank you desirulez) it’ll be a slobberknocker of a show… I hope.

To be honest, looking at this year’s card is doesn’t look THAT appealing. But I’m a little excited because it is Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania is the show where the stars come out and the lights are on bright. The Rock! CM Punk! John Cena! Triple H! Undertaker! BROCK LESNAR! Chris Jericho! Shawn Michaels! Everyone is here! And it’s time to do some predictions!

The Battle Of The Dancers: “Y2J” Chris Jericho vs FAAAAAAAAANDAAAAAAAAAANGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Background: Out of the blue, we get promos hyping up the debut of a new superstar. And soon enough, the new guy arrived. I mean this guy was certainty hard to miss. Had some amazing gear on, a face that looks like it got hit with a frying pan, epic dance moves, and an beautiful dance partner at his side. His name was… well, that’s the thing. We thought his name was Fandango, but apparently, everyone was saying his name wrong. For a couple of weeks, he’d come out all dancing, but when Justin Roberts mispronounces his name, he’d go in a fit, and refuse to wrestle. He even gave The Great Khali a chance to say his name right. But errrmmm….

Right. Anyway, this would go on for a couple of weeks until Fandango met someone, who was actually a contestant in the American version of Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing With The Stars. His name? Y2J Chris Jericho. Fandango then asked Jericho to pronounce his name. But Jericho took a lot more of a humorous approach to the name…

This obviously pissed off Fan-dangler, who would assault Jericho several times on RAW and SmackDown! Having had enough of the attacks, Jericho went to Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero, and set up Chris Jericho vs Fandango for WRESTLEMANIA!

What I think should happen?: Normally in these situations when the newcomer would face the veteran, I’d back the newcomer. A victory over the well-established veteran would be a big boost for the newcomer. However, I’m not going to do that here. Chris Jericho should really get the victory here. I’d be really mad if Fandango won here. Firstly, because I’m a huge Chris Jericho fan. Secondly, especially on a stage like Wrestlemania, Chris Jericho shouldn’t really lose to someone like Fandango, someone who’s character is just getting started. Yeah, if Fandango was facing someone like R-Truth or a mid-carder, yeah. But this is Chris Jericho. I understand Chris Jericho wants to help put people over, but if they give Fandango the victory, then that means that they are putting so much effort into this guy over heels who need the push more, like Wade Barrett (Yes, I like using Wade Barrett as an example a lot. XD). Fandango needs to work his way up, and fight lower-cards first before facing someone like Chris Jericho. So I’m saying I want…. Chris Jericho to win.

What I think will happen?: Unfortunately, all the signs point to Fandango winning this. Since returning in 2012, Chris Jericho has put over a lot of wrestlers, and would probably want to help Fandango out to, and if it meant losing to him, he would. Also, WWE have an unhealthy obsession of having wrestlers rise through the rankings in WWE very quickly, and winning their debuts over main-event players. So I’m saying they’ll have…. Fandango win. -.-

“Team Hell-No” Kane and Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Background: Since winning the WWE Tag Team Titles, Kane and Daniel Bryan (otherwise known as Team Hell-No) have been a force to be reckoned with in the tag team division. Lately however, the team started having some problems. It started in the Royal Rumble match, where Daniel Bryan eliminated his own partner Kane. Daniel was then pushed over the top rope by Antonio Cesaro, and knocked into the arms of the eliminated Kane, who decided not to save his partner from being eliminated and let him drop to the floor. The two then suffered more problems in the World Title Number One Contendership Elimination Chamber match, when Daniel Bryan tried a roll-up on Kane, nearly eliminating him from the match. With this act of betrayal by Bryan, Kane and Bryan went after each other in the match. However, neither man were successful in winning the chamber. Daniel would then get involved in this argument with former girlfriend AJ Lee…

After flat out owning Miss AJ Lee, Daniel and Kane were both challenged to a match for the tag titles by the team of AJ’s boyfriend Dolph Ziggler and his and AJ’s bodyguard, Big E Langston. The two would accept, and the match would be scheduled for Wrestlemania.

What I think should happen?: Kane and Daniel Bryan. I’m sorry, but I don’t like the thought of Ziggler and Langston being tag champions. I think if D-Bry and Kane should lose the tag titles, it should be to a legitimate tag team, not some guy and his bodyguard. Also, there aren’t a lot of face tag teams around to face Ziggler and Langston for the titles. We have, the Usos and “Lords Of The Dance” Brodus Clay and Tensai. Oh by the way, I don’t think Dolph Ziggler will or should cash in Money In The Bank tonight either.

What I think will happen?: Ziggy and Big E win the titles. I think WWE believe that the Team Hell-No story has hit a slump, and I think they want to pull the plug on it. Also, a tag title reign buys Ziggler a couple of more months as Mr Money In The Bank, and I think they want him to go down to the wire as Mr Money In The Bank.

The Lords Of The Dance And The Funkadactyls vs Team Rhodes-Scholars and The Bella Twins

Background: Matt Bloom returned to WWE donning the name of Tensai the night after Wrestlemania 29. Under this name, Tensai started of in WWE well, getting countless victories and even knocked off John Cena on RAW in the UK. However, when John Cena cleanly beat him a short time later, it all went downhill from there. He began losing to everyone – CM Punk, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston. This losing streak eventually lead him losing to even Santino Marrella at the 2012 Slammys. Seeing Tensai constantly humiliated, Brodus Clay offered his help. Despite being hesitant at first, Tensai began to bond with Brodus and even started dancing down to the ring with him. The duo later became a tag team called Tons Of Fun (which is a little annoying, as I believe Lords Of The Dance is a lot more suitable name. -.-). The two even defeat Team Rhodes-Scholars at Elimination Chamber. Angered by the defeat, the two teams would begin a feud, and it wasn’t just the men getting physical. Brodus and Tensai’s Funkadactyls (Cameron and Namoi) started feuding with new girlfriends and newly-reinstated twins, Nikki and Brie Bella. Eventually, a 8 person tag was booked with Tons of Funk and their Funkadactyls facing Team Rhodes-Scholars and the Bella Twins.

What I think should happen?: Honestly, this match shouldn’t even take place. Intergender matches aren’t that great to watch. While I was impressed with the Bellas vs Funkadactyls match on RAW this Monday, there are a lot of great superstars not even on the card. Where the hell is Antonio Cesaro on the Wrestlemania card? -.- If I have to pick, I’d have to say I want Rhodes-Scholars and the Bellas to win.

What I think will happen?: Clay, Tensai, Cameron and Namoi win. This is simply a brief crowd pleaser. The faces will win, the faces will dance. End of.

Wade Barrett vs The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship

Background: These two began feuding when both Barrett and Miz appeared on Y2J’s Highlight Reel on RAW, and argued about their recent movie releases. Wade Barrett has Dead Man Down, and The Miz had the Marine 3 (I personally don’t want to see either of them films). These two would eventually be booked in a triple threat for the IC Title on RAW, alongside Chris Jericho. Barrett would retain the title, but after The Miz defeat Wade Barrett in a non-title match the next week, Miz was given the opportunity to fight for the title again, on the pre-show of Wrestlemania 29, against Wade Barrett.

What I think should happen?: Well first of all, why the hell is this match not on the main show? Why is the IC title match not on the main show? They are really bringing down the prestige of the belt. The IC Title should be defended on the grand-daddy of them all, and Barrett and Miz deserve more than this. But anyway, I want Barrett to retain. Miz had his run as IC Champion. The more Barrett wins, the better champion he is. Wade Barrett should win.

What I think will happen?: I think Barrett will indeed win. I don’t see Miz beating him here, especially on the pre-show. Yeah, titles have changed hands on the pre-show before, but if Miz were to win the title, they wouldn’t have him do it on a pre-show. Barrett will win this. No sweat. NEXT.

“The King Of Putting Himself Over” Triple H vs BRRRRRROOCK LLLLLEESNAR!

Background: The night after Wrestlemania 29, Brock Lesnar made his return to WWE after 8 long years, by sending out an emphatic statement to the WWE Universe..

While back, Brock Lesnar started making ridiculous demands from the WWE. He wanted his own private jet, he wanted a lot more money, and he wanted to show to be renamed – “Monday Night Raw: Starring Brock Lesnar”. Having enough of Lesnar holding up the WWE, the COO of WWE Triple H came out and told Lesnar that he wasn’t going to have any of his new requests, and pleaded with him to stay in WWE under the contract that Lesnar and WWE first agreed to which were “more than fair”. Upset with not getting what he wanted, Lesnar took out his frustrations on the COO, breaking his arm…

The next week, Paul Heyman, legal representative of Brock Lesnar and former head of ECW, came out on RAW and addressed the WWE universe on Lesnar’s behalf. He basically stated that Lesnar has quit WWE in protest of Triple H not letting him have the new additions to his contract. He would go on to state that Triple H would be sued for publicly breaching the agreement made with Lesnar (by tearing up the new contract before being attacked) and for an assault by Triple H on Heyman himself. At No Way Out, Triple H made a proposal – Triple H vs Brock Lesnar at Summerslam in exchange for dropping the lawsuits. Heyman initially rejected the match, but eventually accepted on RAW 1000, after some goading by Triple H’s wife, Stephanie McMahon (who stills looks as stunning as ever, may I add). At Summerslam, Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H. And guess how he did it?

Yep, he broke Triple H’s arm again, and the next night on RAW, declared himself as the conquer of WWE, and left… like a boss. He came back in late January, planting Vince McMahon with an F5. Apparently resigned by Vickie Guerrero, Lesnar would interfere in a fight between Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon on RAW, and was about to attack Vince again, before “The Game” Triple H came back and… basically kicked Brock Lesnar’s ass. Triple H challenged him to a rematch at Wrestlemania 29. Lesnar and Heyman agreed, but only they could pick two stipulations of their choosing and them stipulations would not be revealed until Triple H signed the contract. Despite not knowing the stipulations of the match, Triple H signed on the dotted line. Heyman would then reveal that the match at Wrestlemania would be… NO HOLDS BARRED (little bit anti-climatic like. I wanted it to be Hell In A Cell 😦 ). Heyman also revealed that if Triple H lost the match, HIS CAREER WOULD BE OVER! DUH, DUH, DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

What I think should happen?: Brock Lesnar kicks Triple H’s ass! But then again, if Triple H retired, then he’d give himself 5000 tribute shows and highlight videos, increasing his ego tenfold. Either way, I want the match to certainty be an improvement on their match at Summerslam, which was a bit of a let down.

What I think will happen?: Triple H wins. Puts himself over! Goes back into hiding. -.- Not exactly happy with having to admit that like. I know what’ll cheer me up!

🙂 What a voice! I could listen to him say BROCK LESNAR all day! XD

The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose) vs SmackDown!’s Crusade (Big Show, Sheamus and Randy Orton)

Background: Since debuting back at Survivor Series, The Shield have been a force to be reckoned with in WWE. They’ve taken out Ryback about a 1000 times, won their last two matches at TLC and Elimination Chamber (and looked awesome while doing it), and have taken out nearly everyone in WWE. Randy Orton and Sheamus stood up and said “You know. We’re not going to take this any more” and accepted a challenge thrown down by The Shield to face them at Wrestlemania in a 3 on 3. They initially chose Ryback as their 3 partner, but he was taken out the match by Vickie Guerrero. Big Show would then start to form an alliance with Sheamo and Orton, and despite not exactly liking each other, the 3 began working together for the greater good of the WWE. Big Show then officially became their partner for the match at Wrestlemania.

What I think should happen?: Simple. The Shield win (BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!) and Randy Orton turns heel. Regardless of the match quality. Give me them two things WWE, and I will be satisfied.

What I think will happen?: The Shield will win (BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!) and someone turns heel (probably Randy Orton). Not exactly difficult to work this one out.

“The Best In The World” CM Punk vs The Undeeeerrrrrrrrrrtakeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr!

Background: After losing the WWE Championship to The Rock at the Royal Rumble, losing the rematch at Elimination Chamber, and losing to John Cena on RAW 2 weeks after, “The Best In The World” CM Punk would choose to set his sets on one man – The Undertaker, who had just returned to the WWE in time for Wrestlemania. After defeating Sheamus, Big Show and Randy Orton in a fatal four way match on Old School RAW, CM Punk earned the right to face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. In order to gain the mental advantage on the Undertaker, CM Punk needed to make things personal. And as it just happened… Paul Bearer died in real life. So, in the ultimate act of disrespect, CM Punk interrupted Undertaker’s tribute to Bearer the next week. Punk would then steal Undertaker’s sacred urn and began teasing him with it. Punk wanted to win at Wrestlemania and break his undefeated streak, and would even accept a Disqualification or count out victory. So getting him pissed off before the event, could get him pissed off enough to get himself DQ’d. Punk has gotten the upper hand in the mind game department, but while Mind Games be enough to defeat the Phenom at Wrestlemania, and enter Punk into the realm of wrestling legends.

What I think should happen?: Undertaker wins and goes 21-0. The Streak should never die.

What I think will happen?: Undertaker wins and goes 21-0. The Streak will never die.

“The Real American” Jack Swagger vs “The Mexican Aristocrat” Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship

Background: Jack Swagger returned to WWE just after Royal Rumble, and declared his interest to be in the Elimination Chamber match for a shot at the World Title at Wrestlemania. With a couple of “impressive” victories (over jobbers like Santino and Zack Ryder) he was put in the chamber,  and amazingly… he won it. He gained a shot at the World Title, and despite getting arrested for DUI, was still in the title match at Mania. Swagger joined forces with Zeb Colter, who both tried to show the WWE what it is to be a real American, and said the American Government were weak for letting in illegal immigrants into the country. He also said that the World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio is an inspiration for other illegal immigrants to cross the border to gain the amount of success he has. Del Rio was getting pissed off at these statements, and got even madder at Swagger, for “breaking” his close friend and personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez’s ankle.

What I think should happen?: Alberto Del Rio wins. Swagger doesn’t deserve to win. He doesn’t even deserve to be in the main event. How can WWE just look past Swagger’s DUI arrest and possession of weed? I will be seriously pissed off if the “Real American” Jack Swagger is given the World Title now. -.-

What I think will happen?: Alberto Del Rio wins. Personally, I don’t think WWE are done with this feud yet, and these two will go on to Extreme Rules and probably face each other in a submission match or something. And I think they’d have Del Rio walk into the rematch as champion.

Ryback vs Mark Henry – FEED ME MORE!!!!!!!!!! vs THAT’S WHAT I DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Background: Mark Henry came out and confronted Ryback on Old School RAW after the latter gained a victory over Antonio Cesaro. Henry would then deliver THREE World’s Strongest Slams to Ryback on SmackDown!, which led to Vickie Guerrero pulling Ryback out of his scheduled 6 man tag team match against The Shield, and put him up against “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry. Since then, a battle of one-upmanship began between the two. When Mark Henry defeated The Uso in a handicap match on RAW, later on in the show, Ryback defeated The 3 Man Band in a handicap match. Who will win the battle of the titans?

What I think should happen?: Personally, I don’t like the thought of Mark Henry losing at Wrestlemania this year. He’s actually been really good since his return and had a great display of dominance in the Elimination Chamber match, laying out everyone in the ring. He’s even found a great new catchphrase…

BUT, as much as I like Mark Henry right now, Ryback needs this win. He’s had FIVE PPV losses in a row! FIVE! For a man who’s supposed to be a big deal in WWE, he hasn’t shown much dominance in PPVs. A big victory over Mark Henry would really get the ball rolling on the Ryback project again. I’m going with Ryback.

What I think will happen?: Ryback will win. I think they want Ryback to have his “Wrestlemania Moment” and deliver shell-shocked to Mark Henry. FEED ME MORE!

Finally……

The Main Event (I think)

The Rock vs John Cena for the WWE Championship

Background: At Wrestlemania 28, The Rock defeated John Cena in the “Once In A Lifetime” match, and declared that he would regain the WWE Championship. And at Royal Rumble, he did. He defeated CM Punk to become WWE Champion for the first time in about 8 years. Coincidently enough, John Cena just so happened to win the Royal Rumble that night, and earn another chance to go one on one, with the great one. TWICE IN A LIFETIME!

What I think should happen?: I think the part-time WWE Champion The Rock needs to be dethroned as champion, even if John Cena is the one to do it. John Cena should win.

What I think will happen?: It’s not exactly rocket science… John Cena wins.

PHEW.

Anyway, I’ll see you later this week for my Wrestlemania 29. I don’t know when it’ll be, but it should be done this week if I have enough time to. BYE! And have fun watching WRESTLEMANIA!